Onstage This Week: British Premieres at the Joffrey, ABT Studio Company at the Joyce, NYCB's Spring Season Opens, and More!

Wonder what's going on in ballet this week? We've rounded up some highlights.

The Joffrey Ballet Celebrates British Choreographers With a Program of Premieres

April 24-May 5, Joffrey Ballet presents Across the Pond, a program celebrating British choreographers that includes two world premieres. First up is a new work by Andrew McNicol, a London-based freelancer who's worked with The Royal Ballet, Royal Ballet of Flanders, The New York Choreographic Institute and many more. Also on the list are the world premiere of Andrea Walker's Home, inspired by by the personal stories of the DREAMers, and the company premiere of Liam Scarlett's Vespertine.

NYCB's Spring Season Opens This Week

Spring must be upon us, because New York City Ballet is back in season. The company will present 28 ballets over the next six weeks, starting with a week of contemporary repertoire April 23-28. The first of the two programs on display this week includes Alexei Ratmansky's Pictures at an Exhibition, Mauro Bigonzetti's Oltremare and Justin Peck's Rodeo: Four Dance Episodes. The second program features Peter Martin's Hallelujah Junction, William Forsythe's Herman Schmerman, Matthew Neenan's The Exchange and Ratmansky's Concerto DSCH.

Orlando Ballet Presents the World Premiere of "Arcadian Broad's Wonderland"

April 26-28 marks the world premiere of choreographer and Orlando Ballet dancer Arcadian Broad's Arcadian Broad's Wonderland: Mad Tales of the Hatter at Orlando Ballet. For his take on Lewis Carroll's classic Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Broad sets the ballet in 1980's London. And not only did Broad choreograph the work; he also composed the score, and will star in its titular role.

ABT Studio Company Returns to the Joyce

American Ballet Theatre Studio Company presents a mixed repertoire bill at New York City's Joyce Theater April 24, 25 and 27. The program features classic works like George Balanchine's Tarantella and a suite from Don Quixote,as well as New York premieres by Ma Cong and Ethan Stiefel. The company also brings a number of new works to the stage as part of ABT's Women's Movement, including pieces by Claudia Schreier, Gemma Bond and Stefanie Batten Bland.

Four World Premieres Take the Stage at Alabama Ballet

Alabama Ballet's Ovation program, running April 26-28, features four world premieres. Three are by company affiliates: dancers Nadine Barton and Frederick Lee Rocas and associate artistic director Roger VanFleteren. The last is by Germaul Barnes, an AB newcomer. Barnes is a multifaceted artist; he's currently a répétiteur for Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, for which he formally danced. His new work will explore the idea of folding, and feature a commissioned score by hip-hop/rap artist KAMAU.

Smuin Ballet's Dance Series 02 Includes a World Premiere by Amy Seiwert

Smuin Ballet kicks off its Dance Series 02 this week at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco before embarking on a tour around California through June 1. From April 26-May 5, San Francisco audiences can catch the company in two works: founder Michael Smuin's The Best of Smuin and a world premiere by former Smuin Ballet choreographer in residence Amy Seiwert titled Renaissance.

Ben Folds Performs Live With Nashville Ballet

April 26-28, Nashville Ballet presents Ben Folds With Nashville Ballet, a quadruple bill featuring Paul Vasterling's The Ben Folds Project: Concerto to music by the American singer-songwriter performed live. This work returns to Nashville for the first time since its 2014 debut. Also on the program are Annabelle Lopez Ochoa's Bloom, George Balanchine's Duo Concertant and Val Caniaparoli's The Lottery.

Sarasota Ballet Closes Its Season With "Giselle"

Sarasota Ballet's 2018/2019 season closes this week with a classic: Giselle. Running April 26-27 at the Sarasota Opera House, this romantic masterpiece will feature accompaniment by The Sarasota Orchestra with Royal Ballet principal guest conductor Gary Wordsworth. Check out a preview in the above video.

A white tulle dress, time travel, the Eiffel Tower at night... these elements come together in Until Midnight, a new dance film by Christopher Alexander of Zen Film Works. This eight-minute long vignette opens with Louise (played by Louise Schirmer), a former ballerina now living alone in old age. Through the delivery of a mysterious letter and a wristwatch from her past, she returns briefly to her youthful self, danced by former Washington Ballet dancer Brittany Cavaco. In a Cinderella-like twist, Louise has until midnight to find her beloved Jean Pierre (Sebastien Thill, former dancer with Paris Opera Ballet and Hamburg Ballet) for one last dance. According to Cavaco, all of the movement was improvised, created by herself and Alexander in each location.

"People have so much fear associated with arabesque turns," says Peter Boal, artistic director of Pacific Northwest Ballet. Here, he shares images and ideas to help you confidently master this advanced pirouette. "It's a real accomplishment when you can put it all together."

Hollywood may have the Oscars, but ballet has the Prix de Benois de la Danse. Held every spring at Moscow's Bolshoi Theater, the prestigious international awards ceremony recognizes dancers, choreographers, composers and designers for their extraordinary work on and off the stage. This year's laureates, chosen by a jury, were announced during an awards ceremony last night, followed by a star-studded gala featuring many of the nominated artists.

American Ballet Theatre principal James Whiteside is known for more than just his uber-charismatic presence on the ballet stage; He doubles as both the drag queen Ühu Betch and the pop star JbDubs. Whiteside's newest musical release, titled WTF, came out last week, and is for sure his most ballet-filled song to date. Both the lyrics and the choreography are jam-packed with bunhead references, from theRose Adagio to Haglund's Heel to a framed portrait of George Balanchine. Not to mention the fact that he and his four backup dancers (Matthew Poppe, Douane Gosa, Maxfield Haynes and Gianni Goffredo) absolutely kill it in pointe shoes.